


The Blackbird Cafe

by quizasvivamos



Series: Online Dating AU [1]
Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, M/M, Romance, klainevalentines2016
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-13
Updated: 2016-02-13
Packaged: 2018-05-20 06:49:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5995609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quizasvivamos/pseuds/quizasvivamos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Part 1: When a friendly face from Rachel’s past makes a reappearance, Kurt decides to take a chance at “online dating” in hopes that he might finally find someone special.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Blackbird Cafe

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Riverance](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Riverance/gifts).



Skeptical was all Kurt had felt toward meeting people online, that is, until he’d met Blaine Anderson. It was strange at first, not knowing how to talk - or type, for that matter - in order for his words to not be misinterpreted or to not come off in a way that would offend, and he certainly didn’t want to sound desperate. But Rachel had assured him that there was no need to worry; all he needed to do was be himself, the boy she’d grown to adore and admire.

Right off the bat, Kurt knew that he and Blaine had a lot in common. Rachel filled him in on all the details about the boy she’d met years ago at summer theatre camp and with whom she had only recently reconnected when she found out he was living and attending school in New York City. Kurt was no fool, and found his suspicions were correct, Rachel’s intentions made clear when he visited Blaine’s profile and read:

Relationship Status: Single

Interested In: Men

Kurt and Rachel had moved to New York a few weeks prior, giving themselves ample time to become situated and acclimated to city life before the start of the fall semester at NYADA. Although he admittedly missed his dad, the drastic change of scenery was refreshing. Life in Ohio had been less than kind to Kurt Hummel, an easy target for the thick-skulled bigots that infested the halls of McKinley High, many of whom ironically got much of their meathead aggression out on the football field by grappling each other and colliding their sweaty bodies all while wearing tights. What aggression remained after was reserved for people like Kurt. Needless to say, there weren’t many people like him in Lima, and, even if there had been, they weren’t exactly out in the open, too afraid to leave the closet as Kurt so boldly had. But, here in New York, the people were different, and Kurt’s luck was bound to be better.

In almost no time, Blaine went from “mutual friend” to “friend”. It began with small talk about the weather, public transportation, how they both knew Rachel. Then, their conversations moved to school, what it was like moving from Ohio to the big city, and, eventually, they found themselves up late having lost track of time, chatting into the early hours of the morning about music, hopes, and aspirations, about everything they hoped to get out of New York City and how their futures might shape out. Sometimes their conversations were flirty, crossing boundaries Kurt had never crossed before with any boy, but Kurt couldn’t be sure how Blaine really felt about him.

Talking to Blaine was like talking with a long lost friend, and it was as if they’d known each other forever. It was easy, conversation between them, and, judging by his use of emojis, Blaine got Kurt’s sense of humor and really enjoyed talking to him. But emojis weren’t enough to satisfy Kurt’s hunger for companionship and intimacy, for someone who wasn’t Rachel, someone to whom he could divulge all his secrets, with whom he could hold hands, and maybe even kiss.

Eventually, after weeks of talking and getting to know each other, Kurt grew tired of interacting solely with a profile picture, unmoving and inanimate, and he wanted more. But, god, was it a great profile picture. Blaine was remarkably photogenic and possessed the most handsome smile, pleasant features, and dark, wavy hair that looked like it was held in shape with product. The picture was obviously from high school. Visible only from the waist up, Blaine appeared polished and sophisticated, decked out in a navy uniform blazer, dress shirt, and striped tie, and he was flanked by two of his private school buddies with whom he’d sang in show choir, his bright eyes squinty with laughter as if the one holding the camera had just told a joke.

Kurt could stare at the image for hours, but he longed to reach out and touch a living, breathing person, to hear his voice and see his smile in action. During one of their late-night, early-morning conversations, Kurt finally popped the question:

“Can I have your phone number?”

Hands trembling and butterflies swarming in his stomach, Kurt pressed the phone icon on his screen, and when a deep, soft voice answered, it suddenly made the still-image Blaine very real.

“Hi,” Kurt said breathlessly, grinning like an idiot.

“Hello,” Blaine said again, this time, not in the form of a question.

Then Kurt gently cleared his throat and found his voice, mustering as much courage and confidence as he usually possessed.

“It’s so nice to finally talk to you - well, I mean, we’ve been talking, but you know what I mean,” Kurt stammered, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

And then Blaine let out a gentle, hearty laugh, and Kurt completely melted.

“I was wondering how long it would take you to finally ask for my number, Kurt,” Blaine said.

The way Blaine said his name made Kurt want to hear him say it again and again for all eternity. And he felt so silly for thinking such a thought.

“I wasn’t sure we had gotten to that point in our, uh, friendship,” Kurt said.

“Well, I’m happy you did, because I had imagined what you sounded like, and now I no longer need to. I’ve been thinking about you a lot lately,” he said.

Kurt thought he was imagining it, the way Blaine’s voice grew smoother, deeper, more sensual in a way, but all doubt was erased from Kurt’s mind when Blaine spoke again.

“I don’t wanna freak you out, and I hope I haven’t. I’m sorry if I’m too forward or seem pushy, but we’ve been talking for a while now, and I really like you and was hoping we could meet up…? Just the two of us, for coffee or something. I remembered you said you really like coffee.”

Kurt was emboldened by Blaine’s spoken sentiments and asked, “Do you mean, like, on a date?”

“Yeah,” Blaine said, a minute waver in his voice suddenly giving away the fact that he was probably just as nervous as Kurt had been. It was comforting in a way, to know that Kurt hadn’t been making it all up in his head after all.

He swallowed and nodded even though Blaine couldn’t see him. “Yeah, yeah. I would love to meet up.”

“Great!” Blaine said, and Kurt could hear his relief and his smile in his voice. “I was thinking…well, there’s this place I found recently that has really good lattes and great live music - Blackbird Cafe - and I think you would like it. When are you free? Is this Saturday good?”

“Saturday’s perfect,” Kurt said, his rapidly-beating heart feeling lighter than ever.

***

It was unusually chilly for an autumn day, even with the sun out, the beams of which illuminated the wide walk beneath his feet. A gust of wind whipped around a bundled-up Kurt, catching his hair that was thankfully held in place by expertly applied product and extreme hold, professional-grade hairspray. It had been worth the thirty dollars he’d spent on it; he was nervous about finally meeting Blaine face-to-face, and he wanted to look his best.

Upon arrival at the cafe, Kurt gazed up at the awning to read “The Blackbird Cafe”, glad that he had found it on his own. He was still learning how to navigate the city and the subway system, and he felt a strong sense of pride in the fact that he had managed to do so well so far.

Kurt entered, but rather than grabbing a table, he chose to wait in the vestibule in order to have a good view of the street. Anxiously, Kurt watched through the storefront window, the music from within faintly filling the narrow lobby, his distance from the stage making it impossible to make out the lyrics being sung. Besides, he was too distracted by the subsequent arrival of his date

His heart raced every time he saw a male passerby with dark hair, but it sank into his stomach when none of those men turned out to be Blaine. As time passed - first ten, then twenty minutes past the time they’d planned to meet -, he began to grow worried, and he wondered if he would recognize Blaine at all. Sure, his profile picture was at most a few years old, but he couldn’t look that much different, right? Kurt knew that he wasn’t going to see the preppy, private school boy in uniform reporting for class, but a slightly more mature, casually-dressed, college student who may or may not have changed his hairstyle - though, if that were the case, he’d hoped it wasn’t a drastic change.

He checked the time on his phone at regular intervals, hoping that Blaine would show up soon or at least call or text to keep him updated.

After thirty minutes passed, Kurt finally pulled up Blaine’s contact information on his phone and called his number. Much to his dismay, there was no answer, and the call went to voicemail. He called one more time just in case, but he was met with Blaine’s voicemail again.

No, Kurt didn’t want to believe that Blaine wasn’t coming, that he had intentionally not shown and was now ignoring his calls. There was no good reason he could think of, no way he could fathom why this could be happening to him, not after how well they’d been getting along, and especially with how eager Blaine had sounded to meet up. He’d even been the one to propose they meet, to ask Kurt on an actual date, and it tore him up to think that he was being played.

Eventually, Kurt had had enough of waiting for someone who wasn’t coming and didn’t even have the decency to pick up his phone and make an excuse, so he rose from his seat, left the cafe, and returned to the apartment, morose and emotionally exhausted. He hadn’t cried, but he felt like he was on the brink of tears since the moment he set foot on the subway train back to Bushwick.

As soon as Kurt entered his building, his phone began to buzz in his pocket, and he slid it out. When he saw Blaine’s name on the lit up screen, his heart skipped a beat, but he was torn between answering and ignoring the call. There was no denying that Kurt was feeling hurt and betrayed, but he soon realized there was a possibility there had been a misunderstanding or that something had held Blaine up, some emergency.

“Hello?” Kurt spoke firmly, attempting to hide his disquietude.

“Kurt! Oh my god, I was so worried. I’m so happy you picked up.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“When you never showed up, I went to call you, and that’s when I realized I’d forgotten my phone at home. Are you alright?”

“I don’t understand, Blaine. I was at the cafe,” Kurt said in complete disbelief. “You were the one who never showed up.”

“Wha -? I did - I was there at two o’clock on the dot.”

Kurt began to ramble. “It’s not possible. I waited at that cafe near Rockefeller Center, sat by the door, and watched the crowds of people in the street. So many people entered and exited, but none of them was you. I get it, you left your phone at home, which excuses ignoring my calls, but I would like to hear what kind of excuse you’re gonna pull out of your a -”

“Wait…” Blaine cut him off, “the cafe near Rockefeller Center…?” Blaine paused and then let out a groan. “Oh no. There are two of them…how could I have been so stupid? I meant the one that’s north of Central Park. That’s the one I was waiting for you at. Shit. I thought you’d changed your mind and stood me up. I can’t imagine how you felt, waiting there all that time and getting no response when you tried to call me. How long _were_ you waiting…?”

“Forty-five minutes…before I called. And then I waited another fifteen. I know, it was pathetic. But then I thought _I’d_ been stood up, and I was so…mad.”

“I’m so sorry,” Blaine said.

“But, mostly, I was sad. I thought we were really getting along, and I was really looking forward to meeting you. I thought you’d changed your mind.”

“I didn’t, Kurt. I want so badly to meet you, and I’m so sorry I messed up and it didn’t work out. But, can we try again soon? I promise this time we’ll go to the same cafe, the one south of the park that you were at. I’ll come to you.”

Kurt fell back gently against the hallway wall just outside the loft door. His eyes fell closed, and a small smile found its way to his face. “Okay. Let’s try again tomorrow.”

“I’ll clear my schedule,” Blaine said. “Tomorrow, I’m all yours.”


End file.
